Deal: Vote for charter school amendment in November

ATLANTA — Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday urged Georgians to vote in favor of a charter school amendment when it appears on the ballot in November.

“The General Assembly has acted wisely and courageously to give Georgians the choice to implement true local control: parental choice,” Deal said in a statement.

“We must encourage innovation and the pursuit of excellence in our schools,” Deal added. “Starting a state-chartered school is not done easily or without lots of hard work, but we need a system that allows for this option. State-chartered schools help students trapped in underperforming schools and aid communities that want to invest in new and imaginative ways of learning for their children. Approving this amendment will simply restore the process for creating state-charted schools that existed before the state Supreme Court struck down the state’s system for granting charters, and I hope Georgians will cast their vote for protecting and promoting schools that have a strong record of student achievement.”